Tips on getting that home loan with which you can buy your own home

Even though property prices have soared in recent years, you can probably still obtain a home loan to buy your own home if you are earning a regular salary. Here are some ways that you can get that home loan you need to become a home owner without needing an excessively high income.

You do not have to take your home loan over a 20-year period but you could stretch it over a 30-year period. This will cause your monthly repayments on the home loan to be lower which will allow you to afford a higher loan amount. On the negative side this kind of home loan will cost you more over the long run in the form of the interest you will pay. You can use our Bond Calculator to calculate and compare the home loan amounts you can afford over a 20-year period and a 30-year period.

If you cant afford a home loan on your own salary consider buying a home with a partner. Instead of looking at your personal income as a measure for calculating an amount you can afford on a home loan, banks will look at the joint gross income of the two partners buying property together. If your gross income is R4000 and that of the partner is R8000 the bank will calculate the amount that you jointly qualify for on the combined R12000 income. The bank usually will not give a home loan on more than 30% of the gross income so jointly you should be able to get a loan for R400000. If you decide to take this option make sure that you sign a legal agreement with the partner on the amount each will pay on the repayments of the home loan and how the proceeds should be spilt when the home is sold in the future.

A common mistake prospective home buyers make, especially first time buyers, are that of aiming to high. Only for a hand full of people will their first home be their dream home. It helps to get into the property market first with a lower value home and after a few years, with the increase in value of your property and promotions in your job, you will be able to afford a better home.

Keep an eye out for special deals offered on home loans by the various banks in South Africa. There are good home loan products specially designed for first time home buyers who do not have huge incomes or cash on hand to pay deposits on the home loans. Always try and negotiate with the bank on a better interest rate as even a small decrease on your interest rate can make quite a large difference on your monthly repayments. For a family on a tight budget even a R100 less per month spend on your bond can make a big difference.

You can often bargain with a home seller to get the price down to something that you are more able to afford so do not just accept the first offer as something you cannot afford. Also keep in mind that many of the cheaper properties are not always advertised so drive around in your area and look out for the “For Sale” signs in front of houses. Do this especially on sundays as this is the day most sellers choose to place their homes on show.

Lenders will take the following into account with every mortgage application.

INCOME

When applying for a mortgage, lenders will look at your total income before any deductions (gross income) to access if you would be able to afford the mortgage payments. Lenders will consider the following as income:

-Salaries & Wages
-Regular Incentives
-Investment Income
-Retirement Income
-Regular Commissions
-Rental Income

CREDIT HISTORY

To qualify for a mortgage it is vital that you a satisfactory record of paying all your accounts on time. This can affect your credit score substantially. A credit score is a summary of a number of positive and negative factors, such as the information on your credit report that aims to predict how likely you are to honor your credit commitments in future. This rating is often used by lenders to identify the risk in offering you credit.

If you experienced problems in the past, and if you have a good explanation it can be taken into account. Make use of an experienced mortgage broker to assist you when applying for a mortgage.

TOTAL DEBT

The amount of debt you have will play a significant role in qualifying for a mortgage. Most South Africans have debt in the form credit cards, store cards, personal loans etc. As a rule of thumb lenders require that the total off all your monthly debt payments may not exceed 80%-85% (depending on the lender) of your nett income.

MORTGAGE QUALIFICATION CRITERIA

Before the introduction of the New Credit Act (NCA) lenders used the 30% rule as qualifying criteria. Now, after implementation on 1 June 2007, you have to qualify on affordability. In other words, they will look at your NETT salary, and deduct all your monthly expenses to ensure you can still afford this amount.

If you already own property and would like to apply for additional finance on your home loan, the same rule applies. One advantage, though, is if you will be consolidating debt, because some banks will take into account the debt you will be settling and looking at your improved cash flow when calculating your affordability.

PROPERTY VALUATION

Your lender will do a valuation on the home to determine its value, before granting a mortgage.

The value of the property must be in line with the purchase price. If this is not the case, the bank may approve a lower bond amount.

If you’re already own property and would like to apply for additional finance on your home loan, you need to have sufficient equity in the property to qualify. Equity is calculated by taking the market value of the property and deducting what you owe. This difference is the equity. In certain suburbs the banks will allow you to apply up to the full value of the property.

To apply for a loan you will have to fill out a short application form. You will then receive a FREE quote from well established, nationally recognized lenders. You do not need to decide now whether the loan is for you.

Just apply and compare the repayments to your current situation. There is no obligation on your part. If you decide that it is not for you, you simply do not have to accept the offer. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Click Here – to get your free Quote!